This invention relates generally to electronic books, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus whereby auxiliary information, either user requested or automatically generated, is supplied to enhance an electronic book reading experience.
With the advent of lightweight, low-power mass storage media and efficient, high-resolution display technology, electronic books are becoming increasingly viable and popular. By xe2x80x9celectronic,xe2x80x9d it is meant a portable device having a display and means for storing at least the text of a book so that a user can refer to this device and alter the display to effect page turning, and other operations. In addition to a textual or graphical display, future units also will include the ability to read the book to a user, if so desired, thereby providing a more modern version of a xe2x80x9cbook on tape.xe2x80x9d
In terms of the ways in which the reading material is loaded into the book, various techniques have been proposed. On the one hand, electronic book material may be provided in the form of an optical medium such as a compact disc or semiconductor memory module. Alternatively, such material may be downloaded from a website over the internet and stored in part, or in whole, temporarily or permanently.
This invention is directed to certain enhancements to electronic books, particularly those having both a viewing and audio enunciation capability. For example, according to one aspect of the invention, a user control is provided enabling a reader to receive a xe2x80x9crecapxe2x80x9d up to a point designated by the reader or, alternatively, allow the reader to xe2x80x9cfinish the bookxe2x80x9d by being provided with a summary, covering the material from a given point to the end. Such recap/summary information may be in the form of a displayed synopsis or spoken audio output.
According to a different aspect of the invention, a pointing device such as a touch pad is provided along with curser on the display, enabling a reader to click on words for additional information. Preferably, upon selecting the given word in the text, the pull down menu is generated with choices further defining the reader""s interests. For example, such a pull-down menu may include sub-categories, such as the definition of the word, the meaning of the word in context, or, in the case of a pronoun or personal pronoun, information about a character in the story, such as a family tree or genealogy.
According to a yet a further aspect of the invention, when material of any kind is xe2x80x9creadxe2x80x9d to a user, be it the text of the electronic book itself or the recap/summary/auxiliary information, the invention may be used to automatically display images on the display screen associated with the material being read, to better understand, or to better enjoy, the electronic book. For example, when the text of the book or summary information is being read, the invention may be used to automatically generate an image of a narrator whose lips (or other body parts) move in accordance with the material being read. In more sophisticated embodiments, the text of the book may be analyzed in terms of content and images may be accessed and/or synthesized in accordance with subject matter.
As yet a further option, an electronic book according to the invention may be provided with a communications link or a short-range radio transmitter, such as a low-power FM transmitter, enabling a book which is presented as read out loud to instead be transmitted to a radio receiver in a car, for example, enabling all of the occupants thereof to enjoy the reading through a higher-quality audio system. In this particular embodiment, where there is dialog between two or more people, the electronic book preferably would automatically generate separated left- and right-channel audio, so that the listener would have the impression that the characters of the book are, in fact, separated by a physical distance during their conversation. Non-vocal sounds, such as thunder, crashes and other audio effects also should be introduced so as to appear to sound at the appropriate distance using this technique.